The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-09-21
LEARNING TO SWIM.
An Important Accomplishment Thss
Should 30 Acquired by Everybody.

An Important Accomplishment That
Should Ho Acquired by Everybody.
Learning to swim requires intellect
ual as we'll as physical effort; the FORM
er is rarely used, aud the consequence
is that it sometimes takes months, and
often years. to learn. The great
trouble in learning is the nervousness
that every one feels at first about get
ting tho head under water, and all ef-
forts are used in keeping the head out
The experience of the writer in teach
ing boys to swim has convinced him
that this is wrong. A good swimmer
should be able to swim under water as
we'll as at the surface. and the first
step in learning should be to get ac-
customed to having tho head under
water. The learner should at first have
all fear taken away. and thcn the rest
is easy. The writer has taught quite
number of boys to swim, and in
many cases they have learned at the
very first time trying. His method is
! as follows: Take the learner into the
water, clear water if it can DO found.
about waist deep, SO that he knows that
he can recover his footing at any time
he chooses. The first effort should be
to hold the breath and submerge the
face, keeping the eyes open. or better
still, if he can do it at first, submerge
the whole head. This should be prac-
ticed until no difficulty is experienced
in keeping the eyes open. and cxclud-
ing the water from the mouth and
nose, and until all nervousness is gone.
There need be no fear of injury to the
eyes or ears. Then the learner should
select an object, say fifteen feet away,
plunge boldly under the water. and
make the best of his way to it by swim
ming under water with his eyes open,
and fixed upon the point selected. In
almost all cases, his mind being re-
lieved from fear, he will instinctively
adopt the methods calculated to accom-
plish tho end desired, while, on the
other hand, nervous effort to keel
the head out of water fixes the mint
upon that alone, and the effort Is mad'
in that direction, rather than in learn
ing to swim. :.
Some instruction in making tn
stroke, however. should be given. Th
finger ends should be brought to
gether at the breast, with the thumb
: side by side between the palms of tn
} hands and level with their uppe
edge; with the hands in this position
! the arms should be extended to thei
! full length. when the backs OF tn
, hands should be rolled inward. bring
ing the thumbs down, until the back
: form the letter v. the thumbs bein
back to back and the edges of tn
forefingers touching. The learner
now in position for making the mos
t important movement in learning
swim, and this is made by sweepin
Y the extended arms and 'dishing
+ hands rapidly around until they toue
tho sides, when they should again
brought to the breast ready for al
other stroke. There are few reade
who have not seen the movement
e the frog in the water, and the al
+ should be to initiate it in the NOV
ment of the legs In the recoverir
It stroke the movement should be slo,
n that of the propeling stroke rapid
comparison.
Only about two and one-half poun
!. of lifting force, in addition to t
ls buoyancy Of the body, is required
h hold the head entirely out OF t
water.-O Guthrie, IN Chicago Heral